How I've Noticed You
by butterflybg
Summary: Yugi gets kicked out and moves in with Tea. The conflict is that he needs to get a job. Meanwhile Tea is falling in love with him after a night when Yugi saves Tea, putting himself at risk. Shadow game! There will be death and suggested violence R&R plz
1. Chapter 1

Hey, readers! Don't think that I'm taking a break from Missing But Not Missed, because I have the third chapter ready to go. I'm just not happy with it yet- as far as editing.

As for this story, I wrote it on a whim at 1am this morning. I've been thinking about it for about a year, but I haven't even written it on paper. I just typed it on word pad and pasted it onto OpenOffice which has spell check. So you're taking a look at my very raw and sleep deprived talent. I wanted to go to bed, but I just had to write this. Writer's urge... can't explain it. Anyways, this chapter was twice as long, but I divided it in half where I felt it was appropriate. So I have the next chapter ready, and I know what I'll write for the third one. The plot mentioned in the summary should start third chapter, if not fourth. It just depends on how much I write...which I usually write a lot! So read, and don't neglect reviewing because I don't have to post a next chapter. Oh, and the story should get better because I don't plan on writing a story at one in the morning for a long time. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, but I would love to personally thank Kazuki Takahashi for creating it and completely changing my life! I'm not kidding!

Yugi and Tea walked down the street together. They seemed to be the only two, in the middle of the night -in the world- on this street. Whatever they were laughing at, had something to do with the movie they just saw: a comedy.

Yugi carried the leftover bag of popcorn that they both grabbed handfuls from. They could smell the buttery treat, the scent stayed strong even through the movie and hours later. The dark night was weakly lit by the street lamps, but by no headlights of cars or moonlight. The darkness complimented Yugi's outfit well, which was always dark. A typical pair of leather pants, but with a casual black t-shirt that was tight-fitted. A contrast to Tea's feminine, flowey, white skirt which fell appreciatively above the middle of her thigh, worn with a light-pink tank top and completed with by red flip-flops. She also carried a white purse with red trim. They were an attractive pair that walked among several dark towering buildings. Above the tall, dark buildings sat the stars, brighter when the lamps were dim, but they sat still and motionless.

Yet the two friends continued in motion, in a straight path with no external forces acting on them. With every step they took on the sidewalk, they came one step closer to passing under a dim streetlight. They headed towards Tea's apartment. Yugi would drop her off, then say goodnight. Obviously, Yugi wasn't going to let Tea walk there by herself this late at night-and early in the morning. Yugi would have been driving her home, but they walked to the mall during the day, and didn't even think they would be out so late watching movies.

None of that really mattered though, all that was important was that these two best friends had a good time. Neither of them realized that they just spent the entire day together, because it was so easy to spend so much time with each other. Before either of them knew it, Yugi also spent the rest of his money on the last movie they saw. The money was well spent though, to enjoy Tea's company.

What could be seen of the stars, through the buildings and dark clouds, was magnificent. But who could focus on the stars? They had each other, and didn't quite think to ask why everything else seemed to stand still.

To Tea, there was nothing in the world worth losing sleep over, other than being able to see Yugi laugh. As he remembers another catchy line from the movie and they both laugh together at the joke, she watches his impeccably, luminous, and contagious smile spread across his face. She completely adores it as it turns into a full on laugh and she can't help but to also laugh, because he's repeated the joke so humorously.

It made her pay no mind to where they were headed, that they were walking in the direction of her apartment, and that Yugi would have to get home soon. Tea had a two bedroom apartment to herself, while Yugi still lived at home. He had no job, and payed no rent, so it didn't matter that he was an adult because his family didn't appreciate when he returned home late with nothing accomplished. He was supposed to find a job and apartment.

Neither of them really thought about it though, because this moment was to enjoy, and another moment will be for work. Not this one. They will have no particular cares in this moment. Which, Tea especially had none. As they walked down this unfamiliar, dark street so late at night, she felt completely safe with Yugi. Yugi was just her friend, but was her unspoken protector.

As in, neither of them had to speak about it, he would just protect her. That was the impression she was under. With Yugi having shot up in height and muscle mass only about a half a year ago, no one could blame her for instantly thinking that his new build was meant for protection. Certainly Yugi couldn't blame her for thinking that having his newly found biceps and beach-bod at her side was just for looks.

More stars seemed to vanish as black clouds covered them, blocking their existence from the Earth. The clouds didn't seem to negotiate with the night sky-night lights, just seemed to push the stars out of the way. The stars gave in, as the will of the clouds was too demanding. They didn't get to say good-bye as they disappeared and allowed the darkness to have even more control over the night and much of the remaining light was gone. Darkness cowardly outnumbered the poor stars, and creeped up to enforce its way.

Tea remembered one more funny line, and mimicked it to see Yugi laugh-just one more time- just one more time she needed to see it again. She couldn't help but to feel overwhelmed with joy that she put another warm smile on his already warm, yet addicting-to-look at features. She becomes silly and giddy at the thought of him smiling at her, and his eyes only focus on hers. His glance nearly paralyzes her. She nearly forgets to walk, but his smile motivates her to continue.

"That had to be the funniest movie ever." Yugi praised, as he tried to think of a funnier movie.

"Yeah," she said bashfully, "I think so too." The truth was, she couldn't really think about much.

He looked at her again, "I'm so glad you talked me into watching that one."

Her heart skips because she feels proud for doing something right for him. "The one you wanted to see looked good too."

"Yeah, but it's a good thing I listened to you, and I wasn't as stubborn as usual."

"No, I wouldn't call you stubborn."

"Well that's exactly what I am. I'm just the typical guy, right?"

Tea shrugged, "I don't know." but replied, 'no' to herself.

"You know, the typical guy that looks at everything else before he ever just stops to appreciate what's right in front of his face."

Tea couldn't agree with him more. "No, I don't know."

"Oh come on Tea, how many times have I ignored something great that was sitting right in front of my eyes?" He looked directly at her.

She really wasn't sure if she should laugh at his question or ask him, 'Are you serious?'. She chose neither, "None that I know of."

"That's okay. It's not important." Yugi looked up at the sky as they walked. He suddenly stopped. "Look at those clouds."

Tea stopped and did as he said. The sky really was being taken over by the thick, dark clouds. "What about them?"

"They look like storm clouds."

"Do you think it will rain?" She asked, also looking up at them.

Yugi nodded, "There could even be lightning. But, we can't really be sure of anything."

"You're right." She replied, still focusing on the sky.

Yugi looked at her, "I had a really nice day with you Tea."

Yugi's comment caught her off guard. She raised both eyebrows in surprise, then went back to being giddy as her face turned pink and she finally replied, "Me too."

He smiled at her, "I would love to do this again sometime."

She was still surprised. This time though, the feeling of the sound of his words felt surreal. "Me too." She replied again.

He softly laughed at her lack of creativity and loss for words. He thought is was cute the way she looked down, causing her hair to fall all around her face, but bringing her eyes up to meet his. It was out of character for her to be shy like that, but everything she did was cute. It was cute the way she stood in her little tank-top and little skirt which flattered her dancer-thighs and calves so well.

Yugi smiled again. Tea hoped that meant that something got his attention or he remembered something that made him smile. She really hoped that whatever it was, it took his mind off of how lame her answers must sound. She became embarrassed at her helpless-school-girl-crush posture. She tucked a fallen strand of her hair behind her ear. She couldn't help but notice his biceps seeming to be escaping from the sleeves of his shirt. She blushed because she never pictured herself thinking about her best friend in that way. She didn't want to. They were just friends, and she had to quit thinking like this. It was pointless, because there was no Yugi and Tea, and there never will be. How could he possibly be interested in her? Her mind was definitely playing tricks on her. 'What a fool! Get a grip!', she told herself.

"So Tea, what was your favorite part of the day?"

Tea looked up at him. She couldn't help but allow a smile to surface. She knew exactly what her answer would be. She knew exactly what she would tell him. "Well Yugi, I think that...what I enjoyed the most was..." before she could finish her sentence she began to feel droplets of water fall onto her face. She immediately paused and looked up.

As Yugi looked up at the sky, the water already began pouring harder. At the first second it seemed like a little drizzle, but in practically no time there was threatening rain falling from the equally intimidating clouds above their head. As Tea threw her arms over her head to do her best to stay dry, Yugi grabbed her by the arm and ran. He ran into a wide alley, pulling her under a small, high up balcony that was sticking out from a building. They stood under, watching the rain fall around them. It came down hard. They weren't even in the rain for long, but both of them had wet hair. One of the street lights that were already dieing out, finally, it ended it's dragged out life-span. It blew out, leaving the alley with almost no light, except for what was flickering in the clouds.

The night was cold, and the rain was not helping. Both of them were shivering, but Tea especially was because of the little clothing she was wearing. Somehow though, when they looked at each other, they could appreciate something about this moment. Something about it was funny. They smiled, then laughed at the situation. Neither of them really knew what was so funny, but something was funny.

Suddenly, both of them stopped laughing. The whole situation switched from funny to serious in a snap. Tea felt a shiver up her spine. Yugi figured it was the cold, and he approached her to try to warm her. While focused on Tea, Yugi could make out a figure approaching from the street. As the figure became more visible, it became more visibly threatening.

Yugi immediately pulled her closer to him, and took steps away from the figure, but tried to not walk any further into the alley to avoid being trapped, causing them to step out of the protection of the small balcony.

The figure, which was just a man dressed in loose fitted clothes with holes, carried a metal crow-bar and bore a menacing smile. Yugi continued to take steps away while bringing Tea closer until he saw another figure approaching from the right.

From the direction he was coming from, Yugi would have to scrap the plan about not going any further into the dark alley. This figure carried a metal rod, and as he approached Yugi and Tea, they continued to take steps in the opposite direction of both men. More menacing figures stepped out of the shadows and proceeded toward Yugi and Tea, all of them with equally wicked expressions.

Coming from all different directions, they forced Yugi and Tea to retreat to the back of the alley, and cornered them. Yugi pulled Tea behind him, and got as far back from the gang as possible. That meant against the wall which closed the alley off. Rain poured on them and the figures. They were completely surround by the mysterious men and the three walls of the alley. Yugi stayed in front of Tea, separating them from her. All of them held some kind of metal crow-bar or metal pole or rod, ready for use.

"Yugi.." Tea cried out of fear, "...what's going on?"

Yugi looked around. "I don't know, but it doesn't look good for us. Just stay back."

Still scared, but having complete faith in Yugi that she would be alright, she nodded. "Ok, I trust you." She whispered to him.

'Of course I trust you' she thought to herself.

AN: So was Yugi's line a little cheesy? Sorry if it was. Like I said, this was one chapter, but I closed it off here and had to give it a quick ending. It will be better next time. There's an interesting battle in the next chapter. The next chapter is ready, I'm just waiting for reviews, so as soon as I get enough, I'll post the next chapter! Review please, i really don't care if I receive flames or anything. Constructive criticism would be most appreciated though.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Remember when I said I would write any more chapters late at night? I lied! Yeah, the end of this chapter was written kind of late. Oh well, enjoy anyways!

* * *

Hey, check out Love: The Art of Battle. It's an audition fic by Silent Scream of Crimson Tears. Not sure what an audition fic is? Check it out!

Hint: To the ladies, you can still audition, some of the names were just filled in to not leave them blank. Try for any part except the OC and the the OC's sister! hurry, hurry while they're available!

* * *

I don't own Yu-Gi-oh!

Ch. 2

One guy stepped forward and spoke. "What brings you to our neighborhood?"

"Nothing. What do you want from us?" Yugi asked, trying to stay calm. He wanted to stay calm for Tea, who's shaky hands were placed on Yugi's shoulders.

"Well, we were taking a look at that bag you got there girly, and thought you had some cash for us..."

Tea took her purse off of her shoulder, willing to hand it over. "Here, take it."

The guy smiled. "..then we got a good look at the girl and thought, _damn,_ we'd rather have the girl than the bag." The guys began to high five each other.

Yugi placed one of his own shaky hands onto one of Tea's that was on his shoulder. He gripped it tight. "What are you saying?"

Another guy, also wearing baggy and torn clothes, stepped forward. "We're saying, hand over the girl and no one gets hurt."

Yugi could tell that Tea was scared, but he suddenly became less intimidated, and his hand quit shaking as he gripped Tea's. "No. I refuse to turn her over."

"Well, then you've chosen option 2. People get hurt." Everyone advanced toward the two.

"No." Yugi put up his hand to stop them, which for some unexplained reason, they obeyed. "No, I choose option 3."

The men all looked at each other confused. Even Tea looked confused. One of the guys spoke up. "Hey, we didn't give you no third option!"

"I know," Yugi smiled. "I'm giving you guys an option."

"Okay wise guy, what's our option?"

"Right now, we can settle this. I challenge you to a game." Yugi said confidently. Tea looked at him shocked. She thought it was extremely strange for Yugi to say those words. Who does he think he is?!...

The guys began laughing simultaneously. Yugi expected that. He waited for them to stop.

One guy stopped laughing long enough to respond. "What, you want to play a life or death game?"

"Something like that." Yugi replied, sure of his answer.

"Okay. It's a deal. What kind of game did you have in mind?"

"A simple game, where the rules are simple." Yugi smiled again. "I thought that a simple game was appropriate, since I wouldn't want to confuse you guys."

One of the men stepped forward threateningly, but another put his hand out to stop him. Then he warned Yugi, "Watch yourself."

Tea was sure that Yugi had lost it. She wandered why Yugi thought he could get away with talking to them like that. Especially since they outnumbered them, 9 to 2. Yugi continued his explanation of the game. "We each pick one object or thing to hold. That's the only thing we get to use during the game. But once the game starts you can do anything with it."

"Sounds simple enough." They agreed.

"There's just two more things." Yugi pointed to Tea, "She is not a player in this game. It's only me against all of you." Yugi watched the guys nod for him to continue. "And the loser's penalty is death." He finished, and Tea quickly turned her head to Yugi.

"Fine by us." One guy replied. Then another asked, "How do you lose?"

"Well, stay alive or you lose." Yugi stated.

"So we can use our objects to kill you, then we win."

Yugi shrugged, "You can choose anything."

"K, but when we win, we get what we want- the girl."

Yugi hesitated, but agreed. "Deal." The rain poured harder. Everyone was standing directly in the rain, and was soaked. Sparks of light became faintly visible in the distant clouds. Yugi became worried. "Well, I'll let you choose your objects first. You may pick anything you can get your hands on."

"We know, shut up already!" One guy yelled. The guys looked around. Finally, one guy stepped forward after deciding that there was nothing better to use in the immediate area. "You know what wise guy? I pick the crow bar that I'm already holding. Then I'll just bash your head in when you call game start."

"Fine." Yugi shrugged. Yugi was constantly becoming more worried at the weather. He was certain that even if he won, there was something he was sure to lose. That was the least of his concerns, because he had to protect Tea.

The guys all looked around at each other and decided that they probably weren't going to find a better weapon than the one they were already holding. "Hey. We all choose what we're holding. Now you choose your weapon. Pick wise."

Yugi rolled his eyes."I should say the same to you."

"Whaddya mean by that?"

"I knew you would pick what you were holding. I was just waiting for you to figure it out."

"What? Are ya saying we're slow?"

"I think you know what I'm saying." Yugi replied smugly.

"Just pick what you're gonna' pick so we can take care you already." The guys became increasingly impatient with Yugi's attitude. Tea was biting her tongue nervously at the things Yugi was saying to them. She really hoped he knew what he was doing.

Yugi however, couldn't be happier with their reaction. "I've already chosen. I choose her." He pointed to Tea. He then looked at her, and she looked back up at him. Her eyes reflected her confusion, but also her desire of the thought of him choosing her...

The guys looked at each other. One asked, "You're gonna choose her?" Yugi looked up and could once again see flashes of light high amongst the clouds. He just nodded his reply as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. In return, she wrapped her arms around his. Then the guy replied, "Well, it's you're funeral. We just don't want to get blood and your bashed brains all over her pretty little skirt." They all laughed.

Yugi grimaced and Tea grabbed a tight hold of him, showing that she was scared for him. Yugi finally got fed up. "Are you ready to play the game or what?"

"Sure." The leader replied. "Whenever you're ready to die."

Yugi turned his back toward them and faced Tea. "Tea." He spoke softly. "When the game starts, close you're eyes and cover your ears. Then, kneel as low as you can. "

"What?"

"Just trust me, and do it. Okay? And pray."

Scared to say any other answer, she replied, "Okay, I trust you."

Yugi took a deep breath and nodded that he understood. "Ready?"

Everyone replied yes, including Tea.

GAME START

Tea immediately shut her eyes as tight as she could, and covered her ears. She silently started a prayer, but suddenly felt Yugi quickly, but gently, push her against the wall. She stayed true to her word, and kept her eyes shut and her ears covered, though she was terrified. It was then that she sat on the ground, keeping he back against the wall. Then she sensed Yugi come close to her, and could tell that he was kneeling in front of of her. She felt Yugi quickly put his hands over her hands, which were covering her ears. He pushed hard against them, so hard he hurt her hands.

She didn't think about the pain though, she only thought of how frightened she was. Yugi kept her pressed against the wall, as she could feel the entire wall and the ground shook beneath her. She was so scared that she would have started to cry, if her eyes were not closed so tightly. Tea continued her prayer as the whole earth continued to shake. She tried not to panic. She tried to stay calm and rational because she feared that she would disobey Yugi if she became so frightened that she just ran away. But she had no idea what was going on, and all she was aware of was that Yugi sort of had her pinned against the wall.

The ground and the walls calmed down. Tea didn't know what that meant. She wasn't sure if she could open her eyes yet or not. So patiently, she waited for Yugi's command. Now that it's calmer, she can feel Yugi's chest pressed against her legs. Only now is she aware that he is breathing as heavily and forceful, if not more so, as her. At that moment, she no longer felt the rain pouring down. As she feels his breathing calm down, she feels the pressure from his hands loosen. Her hands feel noticeably better without the pressure from his hands. With his hands off, she still doesn't know if he wants her to remove her hands, so she keeps them there and waits until he gently removed her hands himself. She still dared not open her eyes.

"Tea, don't open your eyes yet." That was Yugi's voice. It sounded a bit slurred for some reason, but she figured it was just the result of him being terrified. "Now, I'm going to lead you where to go so you don't step on someone. So keep your eyes shut."

Tea nodded. He said answered her question on whether those thugs died or not, which they did. Now her question was how, what happened?

They got back to their feet. Yugi lead Tea so she could avoid stepping on one of the bodies on the ground. Finally, he told her she could open her eyes, but not to look back. She was tempted to look just to see what happened, but she would not disobey Yugi.

They then continued to walk to her apartment. Yugi seemed to stumble more often than usual. Tea noticed and found it very strange. She tried to ask Yugi some questions. However, for the rest of the way there, he didn't say a word. He almost seemed to ignore her, but she knew he wouldn't do that. She couldn't figure out what was wrong.

* * *

GAME START

Tea eyes were shut and her ears were covered, just as he asked. As he saw the men approaching, her pushed her against the wall, to get her as far from them as possible. She is surprised, but then sits on the ground liked her asked. Yugi's heart beat loudly, almost louder than the pouring rain, and almost louder than the cries of the angry men who were approaching and ready to kill. Yugi suddenly became terrified for his and Tea's life. He wasn't afraid of the angry men though.

He fell to his knees pressed his chest against her legs, which were against her chest as she sat on the ground with here knees pointing up. To protect her ears even more, he pressed his own hands against hers that were protecting her ears. He pressed hard against them, hoping he wasn't hurting her, but knowing it couldn't be avoided. He just hoped that it would help. However, he knew his own ears were left exposed. He wouldn't risk letting her get hurt in any way.

Yugi looked at the men. They were approaching, but they suddenly stopped in their tracks. They looked up at the sky. Yugi also looked up. He could see that the intensity of the lightning was furiously increasing. He could see it strike other places far in the distance. It began to hit more and more places, quicker and quicker. It really was a terrifying sight. Yugi couldn't help but shake. The guys were struck silent with fear. They soon found the courage to attack.

Yugi could feel the rain hit him, coming down harder than ever. The men became closer and raised their weapons to attack, then suddenly...

_**FLASH!-FLASH!-FLASH!-CRASH!-CRASH!-CRASH!**_

The striking lightning was unbelievable bright and painfully loud as it quickly struck the ground. The light consuming all them, they screamed out of pain, the intense electricity serging through and scorching their bodies. It lasted for a while, and not one of them avoided it. They were motionless, with their metal weapons still raised in the air.

It was at that moment that the roaring thunder followed the lightning attack. Suddenly Yugi's eardrums were pierced by knives of sound. He was completely overwhelmed by the pressure that suddenly hit each of ears at a million miles per hour. To him, his eardrums exploded, and he nearly lost conscience-ness because of it. It took everything he had to not remove his hands from Tea's ears to clutch his own in excruciating pain. He watched the flash of the lightning vanish, leaving the charred bodies, still standing. Then, each of them fell over, their bodies were lifeless from the deadly amount of voltage that struck them.

As they fell over, he could feel himself becoming dizzy. All he could hear was a loud ring. The rain lost it's pounding sound effect. Using everything he had to not collapse right then and there, he waited until the lightning calmed down completely. The last thing he wanted to do was have him and Tea stand up and become lightning rods themselves. Soon, it didn't strike at all, and all of the flashes in the sky stopped. The weather calmed down, and he could see the rain slow to a stop. Finally, he removed his own hands, then Tea's hands from her ears so he could speak to her.

He told her to keep her eyes closed. He wasn't able to hear exactly what he said, and wasn't sure if he was very clear, but she didn't open her eyes. He explained to her that he would walk with her to avoid hitting the bodies on the ground. The sight was gruesome, and not even they deserved death. That wasn't really Yugi's decision though, and he had no sympathy for them. He could barely stand to see this happen to them. Tea would not want to see them or touch them. Their bodies must have been several hundred degrees anyways. Yugi was just thankful that nothing in the area caught on fire, and Tea was safe. He never was sure how this game would turn out and how it could negatively effect him and Tea. For now, it seemed he couldn't hear anything. That was a small cost though, because he'd rather die than ever know he let something happen to Tea.

So he helped lift Tea to her feet. They began to maneuver their way around. When they did get back to the street, Yugi told her to open her eyes. While Tea wasn't looking, he wiped blood away that was dripping from his ears. He didn't want her to worry about him. Otherwise, he would've explained what happened. Then again, it was painful for him to try to talk, because it moved his jaw and his ears were too sensitive to the movement. For this reason, they were silent as he walked her home.

Yugi didn't say good-bye, or reply when she did as she entered her apartment. He just silently began his own journey home.

* * *

AN: Yeah, it wasn't really a shadow game. The summary was supposed to say, "Shadow Game?!" with a question mark. As in, how does Yugi defeat this group of thugs without dueling? Does he have shadow powers or something. That's sort of what's going through Tea's mind. Get it?

By the way, I'm not sure what to do with Yugi's deafness. As in, he's not going through the rest of the story blank, and it doesn't cause the main conflict. It's a little pointless, and I wouldn't include it if I didn't feel I had to. I do have to though, because realistically I don't think it would be pleasant to hear a lightning bolt up close like that. Does that make sense? In fact, realistically they probably would have been some way effected by the lightning itself if they weren't huddled into a ball- which is what you're supposed to do in a storm so you don't stand out like a lightning rod.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it. Please review, because I do take a look at the reader's traffic and it's pretty awkward that so many people visit the story without reviewing. That makes me wander if my story is so bad they they don't even read the whole thing. Anyways, I hope me and my story don't sound dumb at all. Review please!!


	3. Chapter 3

I've figured out how to deal with Yugi's deafness appropriately. I must say, I'm pretty satisfied with how I handled it. In fact, i think I love this chapter. That really surprises me. I never love any of my work because I'm my own worst critic. Shockingly, I really like what I've done with this, and I really hope my readers love it!

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Ch. 3

Yugi's head felt like it was split in two. How else could he explain the pain coming from between his ears? He felt so dizzy that he knew he shouldn't even try to stand.

He wasn't immediately sure where he was, but definitely after walking home last night...he must be in his bed. He opened his eyes to conform that much. The time? Yugi looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand. 3:15 it said. In the morning? He turned his head toward the window-which he shielded his eyes from the blinding sun. Wow, not the morning!

Yugi jumped out of bed, despite his previous concern for whether he could stand or not. He ran downstairs. Passing through the living room, he entered through the kitchen where his mother was preparing something. Yugi just stopped and looked at her. She was fully dressed, where he was wearing the shirt he wore yesterday and his boxers. He definitely slept through half of the day. His mom turned her head, and seemed to complain about his outfit choice. He knew she would.

It wasn't even that he ignored her, rather, he really didn't hear her. Instead he walked up to the calendar that he wrote his important dates on. He just had a feeling that he missed something important. Of course, today he had two job interviews. One was in the morning, and the other was in the early afternoon. That's great! Today was also the day his mom and grandpa told him to get a job by, or they would have to kick him out.

It wasn't that they wanted to kick him out, but they couldn't afford to pay for the place and feed Yugi, who was a grown man without a job and who needed to move out of his mom's place anyways. After all, professional dueling fell through with Kaiba corp.'s stocks. Duelist's in general are in a bit of a pause, because it's in a temporary down period. Yugi didn't really understand the specifics, but he knew that his only income was his reward for the last tournament he was in. The rest of that was spent last night, when he was with Tea. Why did he decide to spend the rest of it on a day with Tea rather than put it toward something like an apartment? The answer to that was simple- he didn't want to. He's a terrible adult who can't seem to make the right choices.

Of course, he didn't wake up because he overslept, and that was because he went to bed late. His alarm clock wasn't going to wake him- he could still only hear a ringing in his head. His mom probably tried to wake him up, then got really mad that Yugi was being as lazy as he was. To be honest, he probably wouldn't have woken up if he could hear. Now he was going to get kicked out for missing those two job interviews. Oh well.

Tea hung up the phone again. It seemed Yugi was still asleep, and his mom was furious with him. How could someone sleep until 3:10 in the afternoon? Both of them went to bed late, but at least her alarm clock woke her up! What was was his family going to do with him?

She knew he needed to get a job, and also knew that no place wanted to hire a non-experienced adult who didn't even graduate from high school. The only thing useful on any of his resumes was that he had a driver's license and a car. Delivery places still didn't want him. If only those resumes asked more questions about personality than work ethic, he'd get hired right away.

Fully dressed, and having already come home from one of her jobs, Tea sat on the couch. She was ready to relax before she had to go to her second job. One thing was for sure, and that was that if she wanted to be able to quit one her jobs, she needed a roommate to help her with rent. It was hard though to find a roommate, it was the kind of thing that required a resume based on personality. She talked to a few people who answered a newspaper add, but none of them seemed to be the kind of person that would be a good roommate. None of them had a history of making payments on time, and none of them really seemed like people she trusted around any of her things.

Of course, women in general are not easy to trust at first. However, her roommate had to be a women, or her parents would flip out. Not that it mattered. Tea was a grown woman who could make her own decisions, but she definitely wouldn't hear the end of it. Oh well. She might as well go to Yugi's house and try to wake him herself.

Yugi's ears began bleeding again. He quickly stuffed a cotton ball in both of them. He returned to his room to lay down, and it seemed that his ears had bled on his pillow while he was asleep. A little grossed out, he decided not to go back to sleep. Instead he decided to hang out in the back yard, hoping to avoid his mother.

Tea arrived at Yugi's house. She entered through the game shop as usual, surprised that Yugi's grandpa was not there. As she entered the living room, she ran into Yugi's mother, and hoped for some answered questions.

"Mrs. Muto, where is Yugi?"

As Mrs. Muto washed the dishes, she replied, "Well, my lazy son was in bed all day. He refused to wake up whatsoever. Then he completely ignored me while I tried to tell him that you called and that he missed his job interviews. The last I saw, he went back to his room after he came downstairs, thinking he could walk around when he wasn't even dressed!" She placed a dish in the dish drainer.

"In his room? Got it!" That was all the information Tea needed. She sped off, up the stairs to Yugi's room. Without even thinking to knock, she swung the door wide open. She caught herself on her hastiness, and that she really should always knock! After all, he could have been naked!...

However, no one was there. She blinked, confused. Where could he-

Tea's thoughts were cut off by the sight of blood on Yugi's pillow. She rushed to it to examine it. There wasn't a lot of blood, but what could have happened? Did he wake up with a bloody nose? Is he alright? Figuring she would find no answers there, she left, having not accomplished her goal.

Defeated, she walked downstairs, and wandered aimlessly. Then she realized that she had not gone to their backyard in a while. Yugi and Tea rarely hang out at his house, because they'd rather go somewhere fun. Curiosity kind of took over, and the fact that she was wandering aimlessly led her to the backyard.

Yugi felt completely stuck. Unable to leave, he was so frustrated. He just wanted to be able to take a shower and put on clothes. Why did he even have to stay? It's not like he could hear a word that was being said by his grandfather...

She closed the house door behind her, the one which led to the backyard. Immediately she recognized Solomon Muto's voice... giving some kind of lecture. As she peered out, she saw Yugi miserably being lectured by his grandfather. Yugi didn't seem to enjoy it at all, and they both knew that once grandpa Muto began talking, you were pretty much stuck there until he was done. Poor Yugi, he wasn't even listening!

At least she finally found him! She ran up, and caught that the end of the lecture-

"-and that's why we have no choice but to kick you out, effective immediately." He crossed his arms disappointedly at his grandson.

"What?!" Tea asked, clearly shocked.

Tea caught Yugi's attention, since he was always glad to see her, but now he was surprised. He stood up and approached Tea as she went to approach him.

Standing face to face, they both noticed something...

Yugi blushed.

Tea looked away blushing.

Yugi didn't know where to start explaining that he was still in his boxers.

"Sorry." He shouted.

"Yugi, they're kicking you out?" Tea asked.

"What?!" Yugi shouted.

"Yugi, what's wrong, why can't you hear me?"

Yugi shook his head and shrugged. "Sorry Tea, I can't hear you." He pointed to the cotton balls in his ears.

"Why are there cotton balls in your sears Yugi?" Tea began to think about the blood that was on Yugi's pillow.

"Tea, I'm going to take a shower and get dressed." Yugi was yelling, because he wasn't sure how loud he was.

Tea just nodded.

Tea waited beside Yugi's car. His car was black, of course, had 4 doors, and was relatively new. It looked really nice and shinny. It was small on the outside, but roomy on the inside. It was appropriate for Yugi.

She was keeping an eye on it because the trunk was open. Patiently, she waited for Yugi to come back out with the rest of his stuff. While Yugi was taking a shower, his grandpa explained to Tea that Yugi just couldn't stay there anymore, because they were always struggling to make ends meet. Of course, with the low sales of games, the game shop wasn't doing too well as a provider for the whole family. So, when Yugi got out of the shower, he began to pack his things to put into his car.

She watched Yugi come back outside with the last two suitcases of his clothes. He didn't seem too happy about it. However, they weren't going to kick him out right then, they would have given him an extra day to find a place to stay or let his hearing completely recover, but Yugi finally insisted that they were right. He needed to stop being dead weight to them. They knew they would miss each other a lot, but it was time.

After Yugi hoisted the bags into the trunk, he slammed it shut, making sure it would close all the way.

Tea suddenly felt sad about the whole situation. "Yugi, where will you go?"

Yugi rubbed his ear. "I don't know, but I feel so much better now that I can hear again. I mean, I can't hear as well as I could, but it's better than not hearing anything." Tea gave him a strange look. He really was a terrible adult, he wasn't at all worried. He continued, "Really, I felt so much better after I took a shower. I think the problem was just that there was a lot of dried blood still in there. When I washed it out, I could finally hear a little."

Then Tea looked grossed out. That was kind of gross. Oh well. "Yugi, where are you staying tonight?"

He placed his hand on his car. "Well, I'm going to find some place to park, and sleep in my car."

"What?"

He smiled to try to reassure her. "Tea, everything will be fine. I've slept in my car before. Don't you remember when I drove out of town to get those concert tickets? It'll be fine. It's very cozy and warm."

"But Yugi, it's not a place to stay, it's not a place to live. It's not a home Yugi."

"But it will do for now. I promise everything will be okay. I mean, if I could stay with Joey or Tristan, then I would. You know that each of them barely have room for themselves where they're staying. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. No big deal."

Tea leaned her back against the back door on the passenger side of his car. She felt defeated. As Yugi stood in front of her, she looked down, feeling guilty. "I can't help but think that this is my fault."

Yugi smiled, "How could this be your fault?"

She sighed, "Yugi, I shouldn't have let you spend the rest of your money on me. Last night was fun, but I knew that you had priorities."

"Tea." He took a step closer. "I knew that I had priorities. I specifically remember _choosing_ to spend the rest of my money."

She continued to stare at the ground. "But Yugi, what makes you think it was worth it?"

He smiled again, he gently placed a hand on the side of her face, to make her eyes meet his. "Because I was with you Tea. That's how I know it was worth it."

Her blue eyes widened as they stared into his violet eyes. She could feel her heart skip a beat. A sweet, peachy pink colored her cheeks. Tea just really hoped he couldn't tell that she was blushing so much.

"Don't worry about me Tea. I'll be just fine." He removed his hand and was about to step away from her.

"Yugi." Tea stopped him. She didn't know what she was going to say. She was sure that their faces were close enough... she thought for sure... she was confused about what to say and feared she could blurt anything at that moment. Tea was worried that some confession of her feelings was about to spill out. So she said the first thing that came to mind. "I need you."

He looked at her confused. "What?"

She was shocked at what she said. "I mean- I want you."

Confused, he said, "Pardon?"

"Umm... what I'm trying to say is- I want you to be with me."

Yugi was so confused. "What? I don't understand."

"Yugi!" She finally said. Embarrassed, she covered her face with her hands before trying one last time. "I mean, I want you to_ stay_ with me- at my apartment." She paused. "Why don't don't you come stay with me?" She let out a deep breath.

He smiled, "Because your parents would kill me."

He's right. They would kill him. "No they wouldn't."

"Yes they would You know I'm right."

Yeah, she knew he was right. "It would be fine. I'm a grown woman. I can do whatever I want. They can't stop me. They'll just have to deal with it."

"They wouldn't speak to you, and you know you wouldn't like that, Tea."

He knew her too well. "Well, it's not that they don't like you. It's just that they don't like guys in general."

"That's so reassuring." He said sarcastically.

"No." She tried to recover, "I'm sure they like you. It's other guys they have a problem with."

Yugi shook his head. "I don't like it. I'm not sure so sure about it."

Tea thought to herself. She had to think of something. "How about this- we just won't tell them!"

He looked at her strange. "You don't want to lie to your parents Tea. And don't tell me that if we don't tell them anything, that it's technically not lying. We both know that you know better than that."

It's like he could read her mind. Tea was running out of options. "Yugi."

He put up his hand to stop her words. "Tea, what makes you think that upsetting your family is worth it?"

Tea could feel herself blush again. She placed her hand on his to put it down. Then her shimmering eyes looked into his again, as she sweetly replied, "Because it's you!"

This time, he blushed, but not noticeably. His smile was more evident. She looked so sweet, and cute, he couldn't help but smile. His smile made her heart skip another beat. Tea still blushed slightly. Yugi could see that, which he also thought was cute. He stepped even closer to her as she leaned against his car. He was so close to her before replying, "Okay. Thank you Tea."

Her eyes widened as he brought his face closer to hers. Her heart beat so much louder and then...he sweetly kissed her on the cheek... She blushed wildly. He pulled his face away. He was smiling so confidently... she felt her knees weaken. Finding the words hard to say, she finally was able to reply. "Ummm...no problem. You know-anything for you." She shrugged like it was no big deal. She looked away, partly in a trance.

"Tea, let's go."

Tea heard him say that, but was still stuck in one minute ago, thinking about him kissing her. She placed her hand on her cheek. Right beneath the cheek bone, that's where his lips were. His smile...his lips... she smiled to herself.

"Tea." She heard her name called from inside the car. She looked into it through the passenger side window. Yugi was in the driver's side. He already went around and got in while she was lost in thought. "Get in Tea."

She quickly obeyed. She opened the passenger door and got in, then put her seatbelt on. "So, you're moving in with me?"

He turned to her. "Only if you want me to." he paused, "That _is_ what you want, right?"

Tea couldn't tell him how much more she actually wanted from him. She stuttered, "Y-y-yes"

He noticed her cute little stutter, but didn't say anything. "Then y-y-yes. I'm moving in with you." He sweetly mocked her. She just smiled. He turned the key in the ignition to start the car.

She took in a deep breath, "Are we going there right now to take your stuff there?"

He looked at her again and smiled, "Hmmm... It's like you can you can read my mind!"


End file.
